Z is for Zebra... or is it?

Awesome news: Talli Roland is going to be publsihed!!! If you don't know her you are missing out one fantastic gal!!! Check her blog out now! Okay well after you read my post!


Justine had asked me to talk about Zebras, and since we are secret twins (so you can't tell anyone else!) I thought I would share with you that I think Zebra's ROCK!!! There you are Justine ;) Laura over at Wavy Lines also requested zebra considering it is her favorite animal, trust me I would know she has the coolest zebra picture on her blog!!

Okay so my word is really not Zebra in fact until yesterday morning I had no zero ideas of what I was going to write about, how I was going to wow you for the last letter in the alphabet, of course it had to be the hardest.

Lately I had been having some mediocre weeks, nothing was happening, life was dull and time was just passing me by. I hate when I don't look at life in a different light to get myself out of a funk. I needed a wake up call, that is when I was handed my word.


ZEST

A much needed pep in my step. The word struck me like lightning, a jolt of excitement shot through me! I could finally feel the breath of fresh air I had been longing for all week.

So what did I do to put a little zest back in my life you ask... I bought rollerblades. Yup, one of my many plans to get the zest and spice back into my life. I used to be a very active person, ran cross country, outside all afternoon and then the electronics took over, all my favorite shows I couldn't possibly miss, my laptop calling my name and now even blogger has fallen into the mix. Which ultimately means I lost a lot of me time, well I'm taking me time back.

Rollerblading rocks, I felt free, like I could do anything. Running really isn't my thing anymore but rollerblading is something I can see getting into.

What other things do I have in store for a more zesty life??

1. Girls night this evening, margaritas and chit chat!
2. Movie day by myself
3. Cruising the library for some much needed book action
4. Me and Muse sitting out on the patio working on the internal conflict blogfest that The Alliterative Allomorph will be hosting May 12th (Oh yeah, I just pimped her blog!)

See? I have a plan, and hopefully now that I've got the zest for life back, and I've talked about zebras the pep in my step with continue!!

So what your zesty plans for the weekend??

pics from Google

Y is for Yum

Yup you are seeing it first hand, I'm taking the easy way out. I tried to think of something really creative and clever. Bish always has such insightful posts, definitions included, but I'm beginning to think that my brain power is coming to an end. Afterall tomorrow is the last letter of the alphabet... Hmm what will I choose?

Focusing on today though I have decided to chose the word YUM. Life should be fun and today, being as we are so close to the weekend I thought it best to discuss food. Now normally I try and think of something writing related, but today I'm not feeling it, so we're going with the fun and useless brain power approach.

I'm going to create a list of yummy things... so feel free to follow along!

Snack foods

1. Pizza
2. Ice Cream
3. Apple Pie
4. Popcorn
5. Gummy bears

Hunks

1. Channing Tatum
2. Johnny Depp
3. Ryan Reynolds
4. Mark Wahlberg
5. Heath Ledger

Books

1. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
2. The Truth Tellers Tale by Sharon Shinn
3. A bump in the road by Maureen Lipinski
4. Match Me if you can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
5. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard

TV Shows

1. Criminal Minds (Dr. Reed!!!)
2. Cougar Town
3. Glee
4. Medium
5. The Real Housewives

Movies

1. Sex and The City (THE SEASONS TOO!)
2. The Wedding Date
3. 27 Dresses
4. Last Holiday
5. Monster in Law

Okay there you have it... my yummy's for today! I know it was kind of a cheat day but I hope you enjoy it, and by all means make your own list! I'd love to hear what you'd add!!!

X is for Xenophilius Lovegood

I was going to choose something like X-ray or x-ray vision but I was afraid everyone else would chose it and that wouldn't be any fun! So why not really rack my brain and think of something a little more creative, and what did I come up with?

Xenophilius Lovegood... do you know him? I doubt the first name would give it away, but the last name should be familiar to one Looney (Luna) Lovegood!

If you didn't already know, and if you couldn't tell from this post I love Harry Potter! I've read the books over a dozen times and I own the films and I've watched them several times in a row. I'm excited for the next to installments to come out in theaters so I can see how they will portray the books. They never are able to put 600+ pages into one film so I know there will be plenty of information missing, but regardless I'm excited and sad to see the end.

So I can't make this post all about Harry Potter, I do need to focus on the letter X so here is a little bit about Xenophilius Lovegood:

Nickname: Xeno
Occupation: Editor of the Quibbler (a magazine that is as quirky as he is!)
Wife: Died when Luna was 9 years old
Children: Luna Lovegood, one of Harry Potter's friends. Has strange beliefs just like her father.
House: Shaped like a rook, they live near Ottery St. Catchpole, very close to the Weasley's.
Encounters: Though strange and normally by himself he did have a run-in with the death eaters when his daughter was kidnapped. He tried to betray Harry Potter to save her but failed and was imprisoned in Azkaban for awhile.

So there you have it, there is a little bit about Xeno Lovegood!!!

Whose your favorite character from Harry Potter? What are your X words?

W is for Ways

So I'm not to the point yet where I am sending out query letters, waiting for agents and publishers to let me know what they're thinking. However when I get there I would love someone to share some ways to cope!!!!

Ways to cope with waiting:

1. Watch Sex and the City - Now I know Kimberly Franklin and I are in agreement that this is one of the best shows eva!!! If you haven't watched the seasons or the movie it's about time you start, and with all this free time on your hands you'd be silly not to!

2. Go on a road trip to visit all the ice cream shops around town. If you are super hungry go for all the pizza joints or burger joints. Be sure to invite a friend, this journey should not be taken on alone, you will need back up!

3. Turn on a song like “Baby’s got back” by SirMixAlot at full volume and start singing along, you should dance as well... dancing makes for excellent inspiration

4. Write your husband/wife/significant other/neighbor/boss (hey…you never know) a “I think you’re hot” note. See where the conversation goes. It counts as mental stimulation.

5. Write funny one liners (found on google) on a bunch of post its. Put in random places around your office. Next time you are looking for tape, you might just be surprised with a morsel of funny…If you’re really into being a prankster, put them on OTHER people’s desks….

6. Try to not think about penguins. This is especially hard, because by trying too much, you remember what you were trying to avoid thinking of. If you try too little, you end up thinking about penguins anyway.

7. Use your secret mind power. Pick a passing by and try to use your mind power to command them do something, like drop their bag or knock into someone. The law of averages dictates that sooner or later one of your mind commands will come true, so you can convince yourself that you really have super human powers and waste even more time trying them out.

8. Pretend you're a robot. Walk down the street with mechanical movements, adding 'zzzzzt' sounds with each motion. Pretending to have a motor broken in, say, your left hand can add at least 30 seconds more entertainment.

I hope this helps pass the time, and for the rest of you who just want to waste time in general I think these are great alternatives and tips!

What are your ways of coping? How do you pass the time?

BTW: I know this will be hard but you cannot say blogging, facebooking, or twittering! Use your imagination! :)

P.S. Time seems to have gotten the best of me again and I was unable to reach all of your blogs yesterday! Just remember you are not forgotten and I will eventually make my rounds :)

V is for Vision

This will be the last week for A to Z Blogging! I have mixed emotions, I really enjoyed taking the time to be creative with each letter of the alphabet! Some days were much better than others, however I will be glad when I am back to my regularly scheduled postings! Thank you for joining me in this and leaving such sweet comments!

Todays word: Vision

We all have visions. We are all creative in some sense, some of us are writers, artists, photographers, etc. we all possess something amazing, an imagination. We all carry a vision of what we'd want our lives to look like.

Some of us want to be publsihed authors
Some of us want to be artists with our own galleries
Some of us want to travel the world taking amazing photos

All different paths, all different meanings and different walks. I think having a vision is just important as having passion. Can't have one without the other or you aren't working towards anything.

So what are your visions? Your passions? Are you on the right path?

Awards... Tag your it!!!

I was tagged last week by the lovely and hysterical Kimberly Franklin. The rules in this fab game are to answer 5 questions, 5 times, and then tag 5 other bloggers. I know you guys are so excited to hear more about ME, ME, ME, so I'll get right to it.

Question 1: Where were you five years ago?

1. Living in an apartment where people were being injured by knife
2. Working for EDS: Pro Activ Solution (I know pathetic right)
3. Just moved in with hubs
4. Owned two dogs... not being a dog person this was a bad idea.
5. Living in a state with lots and lots of snow


Question 2: Where would you like to be five years from now?

1. Eating ice cream
2. Published!!!
3. Having a baby
4. Taking another kick ass vacation
5. Owning a home


Question 3: What is (was) on your to-do list today?

1. Taking my mom's dogs out
2. Watching rented movies from blockbuster
3. Ordering Chinese food!!!
4. A load of laundry
5. Cuddling with hubs


Question 4: What five snacks do you enjoy?

1. Cinnamon Rolls (yes they're a snack!)
2. sour patch kids
3. ice cream
4. gummy bears
5. rice krispie bars!!


Question 5: What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

1. Travel (too many places to name)
2. Donate time and money to local orphanages and adoption agencies
3. Own a nice home with a pool in the backyard (ambitious I know! LOL)
4. Flip houses
5. Write

(silly I know, I'll do all of these regardless being a billionaire would just make it happen faster!!!)


Here are the 5 fun peeps I chose!!!

1. Amy Saia
2. Jaydee Morgan
3. Justine Dell
4. Christina Lee
5. KarenG


AWARDS

Angie over at Answering the What If gave me the sweet blogger award!
1. TerryLynn Johnson
2. Saumya
3. Michelle Teacress


Charmaine over at Wagging Tales has given me three awards!!! The Lovely Blogger Award, the Sunshine award and Sweet Blogger Award!

LOVELY BLOGGER AWARD
1. Emily White
2. Sandy Shin
3. Alexandra Crocodile

SUNSHINE AWARD
1. Mary Aalgaard
2. Kittie Howard
3. The Alliterative Allomorph

SWEET BLOGGER AWARD
1. Nathalie
2. Karen Walker
3. Joanne


Saumya awarded me the Blogger Buddie Award

Everyone who visits my blog is my buddy, so for those of you have yet to receive this award please take it!!! However I will showcase a few of my buddies just to make sure the love is getting spread around!
1. E. Elle
2. Lola Sharp
3. Talli Roland

U is for Unpredictable

Life, So Unpredictable. We all have good days and bad days; don’t they say it’s what you make them?

I believe this statement is true. Life is what you make it. Janna had a fun post yesterday; it said “Life is” The first thing that had popped into my brain was, Life is what you make it, however the person in front of me had put Unpredictable. It got me thinking, what did I really think of Life?

So Life is what you make it. If you want to make it fun, and then make sure that during the negative moments you have something positive to help work yourself out of the funk. Play some Aqua and dance like you did when you were a teenager. Call a friend and go bowling, make sure you add the gutters… this is supposed to be fun! Oh and make sure you do the glow & the dark bowling filled with beer and pizza, the point is too have fun.

If your stuck in a rut with writing or life in general pick yourself up with a fun flirty chick flick, or a fun magical read to take you into a different world. Think about it, the world is your playground so what are you do moping around waiting for the teeter totter to lift you up, sometimes you have to be the one to push yourself to have fun.

So life is unpredictable, but doesn’t that make it for one wild & exciting ride? How do you plan on being unpredictable or breaking out of your shell today?

T is for Time

Tuesday I asked all of you if there were any questions you wanted answered, and thankfully a few of you stepped up to the plate and asked me!!! I'm excited to take a bit of a break from this little A to Z Blogging Challenge... don't worry I've still applied it for today...

ACTUAL PHRASE: Time for Answers

See told you I'd make it work! So on to the questions!

The Alliterative Allomorph asked - How often do you actually read and comment on your followers blogs? Are you able to get to each and every one of them at least once a week? And if so, HOW?????

My rule of thumb is anyone who comments on my blog will get a visit from me that week! Normally it's a daily thing, I love comments and know how much they mean to me so I can only imagine they feel the same to everyone else! Now I can't visit 400 blogs every day, but those 40+ who comment... they for sure get my blog love!!

Justine Dell asked - Why did you start writing?

I'm sure everyone is curious about this. I had racked my brain for years on what I wanted to be when I grew up, I didn't have an answer, I wanted to be EVERYTHING! One day I sat down and asked myself "How could I do it all?" and writing popped into my head, now I've always written stories just never taken it seriously, until one day I picked up a piece of paper and a pen and viola!! I now call myself a writer!

Christina Lee asked - Are you in the query stage now or still editing?

For those of you who don't know I am indeed finished with my first draft, this happened just recently. I am now in the editing stage and working hard to improve what I had at the beginning. I know that won't be hard since my first draft is currently a war zone! So as much as I'd like to be in the querying stage I'm not quite there!!

Saumya asked - How far along are you with your project??

I answered this above, however just to recap I'm finished with the first draft and have approx. 15K words revised.


Crystal Cook asked two questions: First question - How did you write your MS so fast without getting stuck?

For all of you who don't know I finished my MS in 5 weeks, I think I had only one moment when I was truly stuck and it wasn't for lack of ideas. I had to bounce some ideas off of my husband to iron it all out to fit on the pages, however my muse bothered me so much that not writing wasn't an option. I worked 7-4pm came home, ate dinner and then began writing. I made sure to go to bed at a decent hour and when frustrated I would shut the laptop down and go to bed. I think that my getting stuck phase has hit when I started to revise. So I guess for every writer there is a brick wall to crush, mine just happens to be a different stage!!

Second question - What's your favorite band?

Hmm I can't say that I'm that in to music, I don't even know a whole lot of bands, however I do enjoy Paramore and A Fine Frenzy. Imogen Heap is also someone who truly moves me, and is great inspiration for my writing!

Amy Saia asked - Have you ever taken dance classes?

No, and if you saw me dance you would know this to be true! I'd love to take dance classes and do the salsa, and a little hip hop, but I'm your average white girl dancer, it's just not there!!!

AND FOR THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION:

MT
Amber Tidd Murphy
Alexandra Crocodile
Mary

What's your secret, How did you manage, and how the hell is it possible that you reached 400+ followers in two months?

I'm a witch who spends her time collecting followers rather than saving the Wizarding World from Lord Voldemort (Yes I've watched a little too much Harry Potter).

I'm not sure how I've received all of the love, but I'm not taking it granted for even a second! I still notice when someone stops following, it makes me sad (Yes I'm talking to the three of you who left me yesterday) but if my blog doesn't suit you then I don't want you to feel that you have to stay! If I new the secret I would give it to you...

I suppose it could be the little secret sparkles I send to everyone over the blogosphere... here take some and see if it works!!!

S is for Sneak Peek!

So I told you in yesterdays Ridiculously Awesome post that I was going to share a little something from my current WIP finding me... I promise I didn't let you down! So here it goes:

My feet are cold and my whole body tingles, I sit up and look around me, my eyes are still adjusting but it doesn’t look like I’m at home anymore. I stand up to get a better view but my hands sink deep into the ground, the dirt is wet and I realize I’m in water, I shiver and try to catch my bearings. As I stand up I see myself in the reflection of the water, still haven’t gathered what has happened. As I look deeper in the water I begin to realize I couldn’t possibly see my reflection, but something more, still me just a different me. I find myself staring over my own body.

I look at myself in the river, my body cold, my lips are blue. My red curls once frazzled are now soaked and tucked under several rocks, a trickle of water falls over my ankles. I see several bruises across my legs and as I see my once perfectly painted pink nails have now barely any color left and cuts all around. Did he make me walk here? Was I half awake?

I am confused and at that moment the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, I look around, I know I am being watched, I can feel it. I also know it is not the me standing that is being watched, but the one lying in the river. I’m alive, but barely, I know I have to be alive or I wouldn’t be standing here. Am I possibly the soul of my own body, the only thing who can heal me? I look around me and don’t recognize anything, it is a very unfamiliar place, I feel him still but cannot see him, I know he’s watching. I want to know who he is. Ugh I wish I could remember how I’d gotten here but everything was such a blur. The trees and grass are so overgrown that I don’t know how I could have gotten here. That does explain the cuts on my feet and arms though, walking through these woods or even being carried could have severely hurt, I’m lucky I didn’t have to feel all of that pain. As I continue to search that’s when I spot him. He’s staring at me, watching my movements, which at the moment are motionless, I am knelt down next to my body, frozen, I can’t see his eyes but I can feel him, I can also see the shadow of his face thanks to the moonlight. My heart beats rapidly and though I know it’s not something that can be heard I feel like the world can hear it. Can he see me? Does he know there are two of us?

There you have it!!! A little sneak peek! Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to share your thoughts.

Sorry I didn't make it to all your blogs last night, I was revising and as you all know that comes first! I also just added a facebook badge so for all you avid facebookers I would love for you to be my friend :) Feel free to add me!

R is for Ridiculously Awesome

I want to thank everyone for awesome comments on yesterdays Quirky Q post! I loved learning the little quirky things that make you all tick!

So I'm sure you've noticed today's post is going to be ridiculously awesome!!! Wanna know why?!

I started revising yesterday! Woohoo, go me!!! It took time to get there, 12 days exactly, I'm not proud that it took me so long but having to wrap my brain around it was the hardest part. Telling myself I could do it was a battle in itself. I was having trouble distinguishing between revising and rewriting... but I'm back, I got my mojo back, and I was able to revise 3 chapters! I'm proud of myself!! Just thought I'd share.

Wanna know something else ridiculously awesome?! I watched Glee for the first time!!! OMG I loved it! It's addicting already! This Madonna episode has gotten so much hype I couldn't help but tune in and I'm glad I did! The Guidance Counselor makes me laugh with her inability to really help the students, I also love Sue Sylvester, I already knew that Jane Lynch was an hilarious actress but I am glad to see that I now can see her weekly! I love that she teases that one guy (sorry still learning names) about his hair! I can't wait for more Gleetastic episodes!!! I am totally hooked! Madonna rocks!!!

Today is a shorter post but that's because these two things are so ridiculously awesome there is no need for anything else! Share your ridiculously awesome news with me!

Tomorrow I plan on sharing a sneak peak of my current WIP Finding Me, also keep in mind you can still ask questions today and tomorrow I plan on answering and sharing them on fridays post (Time for Answers) so keep a look out!

Q is for Quirks

HAPPY TWO MONTH BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!! That's right Bloggers it's official I've been blogging for two months and I'm elated to have met so many wonderful people! You have all truly inspired me in one way or another! I was able to finish my first draft and now I'm on to revising and I have all of you pushing me along the way! THANK YOU!!! Thank you for all the wonderful sweet comments you give me throughout the week as well! You all keep me motivated!! Oh and I also noticed I hit the 400 Follower mark, thank you to all of you who comment daily, and those who comment when you can, your love is appreciated, and I hope you feel the love back!!

Okay now to todays actual post, Q... this is a tough one, or is it?

Everyone has a quirk, and if you don't your lying to yourself! As writers I believe we have many, I also believe it is what makes us who we are. Have quirks about ourselves gives us the opportunity to add even more quirkiness to our characters and to our stories.

My main characters name is Lauren, she is your typical over-dramatic 17 year old who always complains that her life sucks. Her number one complain... the fact that her perfectly manicured parents produced her and rather than gracing her with the traditional good lucks they gave her bright red hair and really skinny frail legs. Her quirkiness comes out in her attitude and how she copes with certain situations. She ends up falling into the Traveler's world where she will have to grow up and forget about how awful she thought her life was and start realizing that if she isn't careful it could only get worse. Her funk and sarcastic personality makes for a little quirkiness when she meets a boy. Strange habits begin to unfold that she didn't even realize about herself.

So I'm sure your wondering what quirks I have... so I'll share a few:

I travel with a new toothbrush always
I like to do a few jumping jacks to help wake up in the morning

-- My brain isn't functioning or I'd list more --

So what are a few of your quirks... what about your MC's?

Oh and just to try this out for size... does anyone have any questions they'd like to ask me? That was my original Q but Quirks sounded like so much fun! I am open for questions though, if anyone wants to know more about my life, blogging or writing ask away and I'll post when I'll answer them on tomorrow's blog post!

P is for Pancakes and Pajamas!!

Happy Monday!

Let's start this week off right! Join me for breakfast in your favorite pair of PJ's! It's the perfect start to what we can say will be the perfect week!

After having quite the stressful week last week I had realized I was running out of steam and needed a mental break and since my muse was already telling me this I realized I was the one standing in the way of the relaxation time! Once I noticed the problem I drew
a bath, made some cinnamon rolls (my favorite), and snuggled with the hubs. There was no sense in worrying about something that would work itself out. I needed rest!!

So today even though I am back at work I'm still taking the relaxing approach by picturing myself in pajamas eating pancakes and naturally what happened was that I got my mojo back!


Tonights plans: Pen and Paper!

Revising will be happening, my muse an I hashed out a compromise, forever page I revise I will take time to work on the second installment of the series for my muse, though she isn't super happy about she respects my wishes!

So what plans do you have for tonight? Are the creative juices flowing?

Sunday Funday

AWARD DAY!!!

Before I get to the awards I would like to welcome a new blogger to the blogosphere! Her name is Catt over at A sprinkle of nonsense and teenage whatever and she truly is a newbie... With only a few posts written she needs some blog love so lets welcome her to the world of blogging! She's a fellow writer like most of us!!

Back to our scheduled posting:

Since this A to Z Blogging Challenge has taken place I've met some great people but it has also made each day's post impossible to add anything extra... so thank goodness for the day off today!!! Now I can post about some awards I've received over the weekend!!!

First Award Up:

Thanks to Lola over at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword! Her blog is fantastic so if you aren't friends with her you better get over there now!!!

To those who have sweet blogs:
1. Catt - NEW BLOG AND ALREADY SWEET!
2. Kristi from R.A.W
3. Sandy
4. Amy Saia
5. Beth

Second Award Up:

Thanks to The Little Flower over at A Present for every for awarding me the OH MY BLOG Award! What a fun one!!! She's a sweetheart so be sure to check out her blog!

To those who have OUTSTANDING Blogs:
1. Portia Sisco
2. Creepy Query Girl
3. Rebecca
4. Kristi from Random Daily Thoughts
5. Eva

Third Award Up:

Thanks to Amparo over at No rest for the lazy for awarding me the awesomesauce award! She is awesome so check her blog out!!

Medeia also gave me this award yesterday so that means I can give it away to more people!!! Hooray!!

To those who are AWESOME:
1. Justine Dell
2. Christina Lee
3. E. Elle
4. Tess Hilmo
5. Elana Johnson
6. Angie Paxton
7. Piedmont Writer
8. Roxy
9. Amber Tidd Murphy
10. Stina
11. Theresa Milstein

As for yesterdays post I guess I used incorrect wording... hehe that often happens when I've been stressed. I think it should have said run out of steam, I've been exhausted this past week but I have a good feeling that this week I'll be able to revise and rewrite quite a bit.

Happy Sunday!!

O is for Out of Ideas

Good Morning fellow bloggers!!! Happy Saturday!!!

Today's word/phrase: Out of Ideas

Yep that's me, I am having the same problem as yesterday where I am out of ideas, I hate the feeling, I feel helpless and frankly a little frustrated but I know that in time everything will fall back into place. I think all those sleepless nights and vacation time has finally caught up to me.

So this post is simple and sweet, instead of being trapped in the blogger world or writing world since I have nothing to say I'd say it's best to go Outdoors, enjoy some sun, or rain whichever Houston decides to produce and hopefully the ideas will start flowing again!!!

What do you do when you've run out of ideas?

Not your average Wonderland

Can I write about nothing today? Will you let me? That's what my original post was going to be about. Last night I racked my brain for something to write... anything... about a cat, a dog, a bird... ANYTHING. I think you get my drift, and I am pretty sure you have realized by now that my evening wasn't so successful on the revision or writing front, my muse is torturing me, so instead of torturing myself I am trying to embrace the freedom. So far not going so grand, but with the help of all of you I'm hoping to get out of it!!

Okay since I know none of you will let me get away with writing nothing I suppose I better put on my creative thinking cap and get started... here goes nothing!

Actual Word/Phrase: N is for Not your average Wonderland

Today I've decided to forget reality, at least for the time being, I'll come back to it, it's not like it's going anywhere, you still have to pay bills, work, take care of the children, like I said for the moment lets step away from all of that and focus what's not in this world. What do I mean you ask? I'll explain...

The Wizarding World

Join me in an adventure at Hogwarts, you can choose what House your in, I won't judge! Just make sure we remain friends! Lets learn to fly, make wonderful potions, and transfigure with Professor McGonagall! Let's just get away for awhile into a world unlike any other!!

Narnia

Maybe you'd enjoy a trip to Narnia instead, you know how to get there!!! Find the nearest closet/cupboard and climb on through! Look for the lamp post and the rest will come!!

Utopia

Another one of my personal favorites... Utopia, will you come and join me here as well before our journey ends? I would hate for everyone to miss such a beautiful and mystical place.

Wonderland

You can choose what version you'd like to travel too, this round I've selected Through the looking glass, I really enjoyed this movie and throughout it I wished I could have traveled right along side Alice so now you can!

Traveler's House

This one is mine, I know I've showed this picture before but I've since fallen in love with it. It relates to the story I'm working on. This is the Traveler's House, inside this house is beautiful and endless possiblities. The world is always seen right inside the house, even though dark things linger outside the walls.

So which one would you like to visit? I plan on visiting all of them and you're welcome to join!! Do you have another place to add? Are you working on another world?

M is for McGriddle

Contests - This Friday Lola will be selection the winners for her wonderful Wolf Pack contest if you haven't checked it out you are insane but not to late!! Go check it out now you will not regret it at all!


Gosh I'm hungry and a good way to start the day off is with breakfast... now how do I make that an M word? Well welcome to McDonald's where you can order a McGriddle they are super delicious... however if you are budget conscious this morning you can also just buy a simple muffin I have chocolate chip today :)


Okay now to the real post!!! Actual word: Moments


We all have them and they count for everything. Never let a moment pass you by, though this concept may seem simple at times during other times it isn't.

My husband and I are going through the trial of working separate hours I work days and he works nights it's tough... we've never done it for this long. We don't see one another at all Monday thru Friday except fast asleep in bed it becomes wearing on conversations because they only consist of job hunting and the latest interview I hope this is over soon however since I can't dwell on how long it will take I need to live only in the moments... the good moments. We just went to Los Angeles and though we had split the hotel and such (quite the ordeal in itself) we still had several moments just him and I where the world seemed to disappear with all of it's worries.

So to share some moments

The dance floor that evening was filled everyone laughing and the bride and groom had only eyes for one another. I stared at my husband and as he looked back into my eyes I could see the love he had for me it was even deeper than the day we were wed and my heart melted... this is a moment.

I talk to him daily though we may not see one another we still share our thoughts, hopes and dreams for the future and that keeps our drive going until we can cuddle with one another... this is a moment



Love letters... not many have them but my husband and I first interacted with one another starting with a yellow pad of paper and pen we have since then incorporated into our daily lives writing one another in a notebook to show us that we still love one another fully (all my old bloggers know what I'm referring too, those who don't you can look here You'll find that my husband truly is the greatest)... this is a moment

Those were moments of love, here are moments pertaining to a more creative side



Notebook and pen in hand, your mind racing with endless amounts of possibilities the first words on the paper ignite your passion until you've already written over a thousand words when you will soon be able to call yourself a writer... this is a moment

Tears fall down your cheek as you write the last words to complete you first draft, the feeling is something that only writers can understand the joy, pain and frustration that were put into this book your heart and soul deep within in the pages... this is a moment

The day you check the mail and someone has requested a full copy of your MS, you've gotten an agent or published... this is a moment

What are your moments?

L is for Leap of Faith

Leaping... can you picture it? Well if not you can see above that I found a lovely picture via google for you!!! Leaping is fun especially if you're a lemur!!

We as writers or creative beings do our best to take a leap of faith on an idea something we've dreamt up or just a solid idea that we think might be worth while to investigate. Sometimes it's a bust other times it's brilliant! I took a huge leap of faith with my current WIP based on to things a story I unknowlingly made up about my husband mixed with a dream, I took a chance now I will tell you that the story I started out with was not the story I began with however it evolved into something so much more that you wouldn't even know it was the same thing! All from one idea from one leap of faith I took a chance and that chance turned out to be the best idea ever!!!

So take a look at yourself today and even though you may have had a bad week or month or year of writing you still came up with one idea and you took a leap of faith! We all stand behind you and support you as you continue to allow your work to evolve into something specatacular! In time the pieces fall together I know last night revising was something that wasn't going to come easy but rather than beating myself up I chose to look at myself and remember that I wrote a book I spent time and energy and put it into something amazing though it's not finished yet the piece I did finish was amazing. So take those small victories and remember those when you're down!!! Continue to take a leap of faith for yourself!!

Are you leaping yet?

By the way today is a big day over at Christine's Journey!! It's the writing line game and it's super fun! Run over to her blog and add to the story I have done this on my blog before and thought about bringing it back so I'm glad to see others want to partake in it!!!

K is for Kick-Ass

Yup bloggers you heard me! K is for Kick-Ass... The weather here in Houston, the wedding I just attended, my trip to Los Angeles, My baby sister having a little girl, my co-worker having just had his little girl, my hubby, my kitties and all you bloggers are KICK-ASS!!! It feels amazing saying it too I'm sure you can tell that I've been waiting for K to come along!!!

What is Kick-Ass in your life right now?

Actual Word: Kite

You know the one's they are high in the sky when the weather is fantastic!! I find the perfect time is in the spring when the air is crisp and the breeze is perfect, you can run a little and quickly unwind the string that supports the whole thing it's amazing to watch something so simple work with just ease when you just believe that it will fly and with a little wind it does. What stinks are the days when the breeze isn't perfect and the kite remains flat on the ground.

Do you ever find this true with your writing? Where one minute your high in the sky and the next minute your flat on the ground? Have you ever thought it might be because you're trying to hard to write something that wasn't meant to be written? I have found that the more I create deadlines for myself the more disappointed I become at the end result whereas if I allow an idea to come to mind it freely flows on the pages as I had intended. I mean think about it have we ever pushed to use our imagination or does our mind just guide us in that direction?

Happy Blogging!

J is for Join

Join in the fun!!! You're so missing out on this blogging A to Z! I have had fun coming up with silly words and trying to think of something insightful! Darn insightful would have been good for I! Too late now! Anyways it's not to late to join you can always start with J today or K tomorrow!!!

Actual word: Jolly

So what better way to start our week off fresh then with pictures from Los Angeles!! My weekend was great, the wedding was beautiful and one of my sisters had her baby! It was quite the weekend to say the least!!!

So here are some pictures:

Our Hotel:


Our view from the hotel:



Trevor & I Rehersal:


The Bride (Theresa), Thomasina & I


The other two were bridesMEN... it was so neat:
David -

Jacob - The Bride's brother


The Bride & Groom - Theresa & Giovanni:


The Beautiful Bride:

Before - Always Gorgeous!


After -



The Bride & Groomsmen


The Maid of Honor and Glowing Bride:


The Groom & I:


As you can tell I had a ton of fun! I could have posted a million more pictures but this at least gives you an idea of how much fun it was and it was a BLAST!!!!

As far as the news on the baby front here are a few pictures!
The Happy Couple:

Baby Chloe Elizabeth:



So there you have it a piece of my weekend! I hope you all enjoyed it and right now I'm feeling Jolly!!! I plan on trying to make my rounds as far as commenting but please allow about a week for me to catch up! I have my first critique group meeting this Wednesday so I am working on revising while commenting on blogs!!

I is for Ikea

Who doesn't love IKEA? Okay so I have to be honest here, I'm from Iowa and they don't have IKEA there but as soon as I moved to Houston the first thing everyone told me was to visit IKEA (and eat barbeque but that isn't important!) this is like a Mall for any interior designing you need! I love that place, my whole apartment is furnished by the wonderful gods of IKEA! So if you haven't visited this wonderful land of awesomeness you must check it out!!! (I received nothing for this advertisment... though I should have!)



My real word: I is for Imagination!

This one was super easy right?! I know I kind of cheated I could have done Ice Cream, illegal, important, independence, insult or intrigue but none of them felt like me so I imagination it was!

I wish the world was filled with people that have the imagination that we all had! Everyone could pick up a book and picture that they were actually in the world and living as the main character, unforutnately the world isn't filled with imagination, the older some people get (NOT ALL OF US) the less and less they believe in things. I mean I still believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy & the Easter Bunny but some people believe they never existed... isn't that the saddest ever?! Thanks to my imagination I was able to write my first draft and have such inspiration that a sequel is under way with even more magic than I could have ever imagined!!!

How's your imagination?!

Also I promise I'm coming home and will comment on your blogs!!! I still love comments even though I've disappeared and all of those who comment will for sure get some blog love when I get back into town!!!

H is for Happy Vest

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this A to Z Blogging thing...

Happy Vest

Also known as a straight jacket... I'm sure at times as a writer you feel a little crazy, all your characters talking to you at once telling you what to do. Our fellow writers all understand but our everday families and friends don't always understand where we are coming from. I think we should all just rememeber that even though we live in our alternate universe that we don't need the Straight Jacket... Lets go with the Happy Vest instead... if we've got the ideas and eventually will make a dollar or two on something we love then why not do it?! Who cares if we are wearing Happy Vests or not?



My actual words - Happiness & Heart

Two things that are needed while writing being happy and having a ton of heart! No one else can tell you to have that one idea or to continue to write, only you can. You have to want it that's where the heart comes in, you have to have a ton of heart to be able to sit at your desk alone and quiet and put that pen to paper or type on that laptop you so desperately wanted. After your finished you'll realize that happiness is at the end of the road!!

Do you need a Happy Vest today? What bring you happiness? Is your heart in writing, art, photography or anything else?

Just for all of you here is a picture of Trevor and I having fun in Los Angeles!!

G is for Gold Digger

G is for Gold Digger... isn't that what everyone was thinking? I would have posted a picture but I'm afraid google had other plans and the the pics were a little much for me. So obviously my word isn't Gold Digger but now that I have your attention I should move on!





Actual word: Gifts



Our parents always told us we were special and no I'm not referrring to those dumb kids who would say "Yea special ed!" I'm referring to the fact that we were all born with gifts. Now I for one wish I was like Harry Potter and the gang and was given the gift of magic unfortunately that wasn't my calling.



I grew up thinking I wanted to be an architect (this dream started at 7) it wasn't until I was in High School that I realized I wasn't sure what I wanted to do I thought about being a nurse, emt, doctor, teacher, interior designer and architect once more. I tried a few of them out and always ended up in a dead end. It wasn't until a few years later that I realized what I was born to do...



What would be a job where I could be whatever I wanted whenever I wanted without anyone telling me no? Um yea a writer! I could dream and write about being a doctor make my character the best doctor around town or the best architect etc you get my point I could be whatever I wanted to be or whatever my characters wanted to be because I write the story! That's when I fell upon writing YA fantasy I get my own world my own rules my own me it's the best choice I could have ever made!! So after awhile I put everything together and realized that wanting everything wasn't out of reach not for an imagination like mine and for several other writers like myself. Writing is such a beautiful home away from home! My latest WIP is a world that I'd love to live in to help others to make our world just a nicer to place to live!







So what are your gifts? Do you incorporate your dreams or dream jobs into your writing?



I'm on a plan headed to Los Angeles!! Woohoo!!! Oh and Summer if I see Matthew (yes we're on a first name basis now) I'll be sure to take a picture with him so we can photoshop you in!!! Yay for Criminal Minds which totally rocked last night! A little gruesome I was disappointed with the amount of Dr. Reed time but hey maybe more next time!